Lite Partners

Skoolaborate Lite is focused primarily on collaborative work through virtual worlds, specifically islands in Second Life.  Members still have the ability to create online units of work to complement their virtual world projects, but Lite partners do not have the full suite of Learning Management applications provided to Premium partners.  Regardless, there are still collaborative opportunities between the two groups in the virtual space.

MLC School: Sydney, Australia

MLC is a school of broad ranging opportunity and diversity. MLC boasts an enviable record of providing an outstanding learning environment for girls, while working to meet their needs as individuals. MLC helps to support each girl to find her potential so that she may make a positive contribution to our society.  Our school reflects the warmth and vitality of many cultures. We are modern Australia. We celebrate difference.  There is no typical MLC girl. MLC girls have the confidence to be themselves, in a school where they know they belong, growing into the adults each individual hopes to be.

MLC School’s educational philosophy, Transforming Learning, is underpinned by the timeless values of Diversity, Integrity, International Citizenship, Connectedness, Wholeness and Excellence.

You will find these values reflected in the choices that we offer, in our curriculum, in our innovative approach to learning, in the range and quality of student achievements and in the organisation of our learning environment to offer care by education.

Although we have had over 120 years as leading specialists in the education of girls, MLC School is continually evolving to meet the needs of our students better. We are committed to a process of data-driven decision-making and improvement.

Our vision is of a dynamic community of learners, operating within a broader learning community. Our dream is for the development of the individual who is a lifelong learner and who will know it is possible to improve our world.

 

 

Think Academy: Chile, South America

Think Academy school is located in Chile (South America). We are a catholic virtual school (k-12) We teach using computers and the students are at their homes, connected and working together to achieve academic, personal and social well-being. Our school is based in honesty and we prepare them with international standards. Our major goal is prepare our students to think and to be happy with themselves. We want them to attend to the best universities in the world.

 

  

South East Grid for Learning: United Kingdom

SEGfL covers a large geographical area. It is a populous consortium with over eight million residents and seventeen very different Local Authorities. SEGfL has 3,046 schools with 56,800 teachers and over 1,000,000 pupils. 2,090 SEGfL schools have broadband connections (December 2007.)

The role of SEGfL is varied and its main functions are changing. SEGfL's key aim remains to connect every school in the region to broadband services which are both fit for purpose and sustainable: broadband services that can facilitate digital communications in all areas of the curriculum and every aspect of school life.

Projects coordinated by SEGfL seek to push the boundaries of creative use of broadband technologies within the curriculum. Last year, SEGfL piloted a project in partnership with the Open University’s teen Second Life island, Schome Park.

Read some of the project outcomes here - http://www.segfl.org.uk/microsites/view_page.php?id=707
An example of some of the students’ work can be viewed here - ‘Gothic murder mystery’ Machinima - http://schomepark.blip.tv/file/971966/

UK ‘Teachers TV’ has filmed a programme about schools use of teen Second Life (Schome Park) within the curriculum. This will be available for viewing sometime in early 2009.

 

 

E - Academia: Porto, Portugal

What is e-Academia?

The efficiency of education is in fact a process of permanent quest. Therefore utopia has to be present at all times. e-Academia (e-Academy) emerges from that walk. E-academia is a project involving three dimensions: educational; psychological and technological.

This project aims to articulate these dimensions to test a process of supporting young people in a motivating and inspiring way so that they become more engaged in promoting their development as students and individuals.  “Utopia is on the horizon. I move two steps closer, it moves two steps further away. I walk another ten steps and the horizon runs ten steps further away. As much as I may walk, I'll never reach it. So what's the point of utopia? The point is this: to keep walking” (Eduardo Galeano)

 

 

Distance Education Centre: Victoria, Australia

For over 100 years, the Distance Education Centre Victoria has been Victoria's major provider of distance education courses for students from Preparatory to Year 12. It delivers programs to more than 3000 students each year.

We are the leading providers of primary and secondary distance education in Victoria. Our personalised learning support ensures local and global access to the highest quality flexible education.
Teachers working at the DECV are qualified professionals with proven ICT competencies who have embraced the possibilities and challenges of teaching via distance modes.

Distance education simply means education that is not based in a physical classroom. Teaching and learning programs can be delivered in many ways – online, via disk, in print. Contact methods can include phone, email, chat, blog, wiki, bulletins or simply by post. The teaching and learning program is developed and implemented by teachers, and regular and ongoing contact between teacher and student is encouraged and expected.

The programs are designed to meet the educational needs of students whose circumstances can prevent them from accessing courses at regular schools. While many students are travelling, ill or find regular schooling difficult, many others use the DECV's services to enrol in one or two subjects that they cannot access in their regular school.

Our students engage, enjoy and excel.  Flexible learning for all...

 


Modesto City Schools: Modesto, CA USA

Pacific Rim Exchange (PacRimX) was started in 2006 to supplement our foreign exchange program between Modesto City Schools in California, USA and Kyoto Gakuen High School in Kyoto Japan. The project was created to facilitate the building of relationships between our students. With the introduction of voice in Second Life, the ability to speak in native languages and practice those being learned became a reality for our students.

Our project is funded by our ROP program through a series of computer electives at two of our high schools. This project has grown to involve several different computer classes, spawned a new advanced computer class, and last year was joined by a forensics academy at another one of our high schools. The forensics academy is building a virtual forensics lab with fully functional lab equipment for students to experiment and learn before using the actual equipment in their school labs (and consuming real supplies).

A three week summer school multimedia and virtual worlds class in Modesto is attended each year by a group of Kyoto students. Modesto sends a group of students to Japan during Spring break to visit Kyoto Gakuen High School. Students in our schools now have two opportunities to meet face to face during the year, in addition to the virtual campus of Skoolaborate. This cultural exchange between our students is valuable to becoming a global citizen of the 21st Century.

These early virtual world projects have caught the interest of our School Board and Administration, and we are actively exploring other ways to use virtual world technologies for distance learning, independent study, and even for use in dependent charter schools for the district. Our exploration extends beyond Second Life in a related project, Virtued (Virtual Education). This is a regional California partnership that grew out of PacRimX.

In August of 2008 we formally joined our efforts with the Skoolaborate project. The biggest complaint we received from PacRimX students and teachers was that they wanted to interact with other students from around the world, that they felt like they were stuck in a “ship in a bottle” with our small project housed on four islands. Skoolaborate was the answer to this problem, and we are proud to be members of this exciting global project.

Modesto City Schools has over 30,000 students at 35 (soon to be 36) schools. We currently have over 200 students involved in the Skoolaborate project.

 

 

Lower Canada College: Montréal, Canada

“Students come first at Lower Canada College.” That is how our LCC mission statement adopted in October 2002 actually begins. It seems obvious enough, but what makes LCC truly unique is the clarity of our focus on engaging students.

We are committed to promoting the fullest development of our students in mind, body and heart. While deeply rooted in past traditions, our goal today is to produce well-rounded, socially responsible, independent thinkers through an academically challenging and balanced curricular programme in academics, athletics, and the arts.

With a history dating back to 1861, LCC is recognized as one of Canada’s leading coeducational independent day schools. With 745 students from kindergarten to Grade 12/Pre-University Year, we offer challenging academics and an extraordinary range of programmes suited to the needs and interests of most students. The LCC of today is also a university preparatory school committed to advancing bilingual education, to instilling a spirit of Non Nobis Solum/Not for Ourselves Alone, and to preparing students for success in the 21st century.

About LCC100

LCC100 is a celebration of our future and recognition of school achievements, past and present. It is also a tribute to the individuals who have profoundly influenced LCC—with an eye to those who will take us even further.

Since its founding, the School has shown a remarkable ability to move forward, while respecting its traditions. As a result, LCC enjoys a well deserved reputation as one of Canada’s leading independent schools.

We have never been a school to rest on its laurels. As we celebrate 100 years on Royal Avenue throughout 2009, we have our sights set on how to proceed for our next century in education.

 

 

World Affairs Council: Seattle, WA USA

The World Affairs Council (WAC) of Seattle, a non-profit, non-partisan organization founded in 1951, is a membership-based organization that creates forums for discussion of critical global issues. Our purpose is been to promote greater understanding of global affairs in our Puget Sound community through a balance of public events, educational activities and the international visitor program. Our programs include:

The Global Classroom Program, which connects teachers and students with international resources, ideas, and people through a combination of professional development trainings, speaker series, curriculum design, and youth programs.
 

  • The International Visitor Program, which promotes citizen diplomacy by coordinating educational and professional programs for international professionals and youth visiting the Puget Sound area. The International Visitor Program currently hosts over 1200 international professionals from over 120 countries in Seattle each year.
     
  • Community Programs, which brings to the Puget Sound community over 120 lectures, luncheons and symposiums with global leaders and policy makers each year.
     
  • There are approximately 90 independent World Affairs Councils throughout the United States, all affiliated through World Affairs Councils of America (WACA).

 

 

Native American Community Academy: Albuquerque, NM USA

The Native American Community Academy (NACA) is a public charter school in Albuquerque, New Mexico USA for 6th to 12th grade students. We are a small school. Our philosophy is grounded in both the traditions of Native American people of the Southwestern United States and a rigorous, modern approach to college-preparatory education.

Many Native children in Albuquerque live dual lives, with one foot in the traditions and culture of their families, and the other foot in the fast-paced and changing world of today. NACA's goal is to nurture and challenge our students. NACA is one of the first urban academies to support Native language, culture, health and college preparation for youth. At NACA, the whole community is rooting for students to succeed. That means that all of us - parents, teachers, mentors, and community leaders - make it our responsibility to make sure that each student fulfills his or her potential.

 

 

CT-NY Talent For Growth: CT & NY USA

CT-NY Talent for Growth is a partnership of workforce development, business and industry, education, economic development, and community based organizations from Southwestern Connecticut, the City of Yonkers, Westchester County and Putnam County, New York.

CT-NY Talent for Growth is one of 39 Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) regions in the country. WIRED is an initiative of the U.S. Department of Labor designed to address the challenges of global competition by preparing America’s workforce for high-skilled, high-wage job opportunities. WIRED brings together business, education, economic development, workforce development and other community organizations and leaders to develop innovative, transformational changes in the workforce system.

WIRED regions are geographical areas that face shared economic realities, such as labor shortages, particularly in high growth industries, changes in access to talent and leveraged resources. WIRED regions consist of communities with similar challenges, characteristics and strengths.

CT-NY Talent for Growth region includes Westchester and Putnam counties, and the City of Yonkers New York, and the following towns in Southwestern Connecticut - Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Bridgeport, Darien, Derby, Easton, Fairfield, Greenwich, Monroe, New Canaan, Norwalk, Oxford, Seymour, Shelton, Stamford, Stratford, Trumbull, Westport, Weston or Wilton.

The WorkPlace, Inc. is the grant recipient and fiduciary for the U.S. DOL WIRED grant to the CT-NY Talent for Growth partnership.

 


The Frontier Learning Network: Oregon, USA

The Frontier Learning Network is an award-winning distance learning consortium among the component schools of North Central Education Service District serving rural communities in Oregon. The Frontier Learning Network delivers core content and elective courses as well as professional development opportunities via a multi-platform environment including online learning management systems, video conferencing, itinerant teachers, web interaction with audio/video interface, and a wide range of Web 2.0 collaboration tools. Our goals include offering standards-based, data-driven, outcome-focused instruction to meet the needs of our students.

As the Frontier Learning Network looks to expand its offerings to meet the state’s and nation’s focus on 21st Century Learning and educational technology skills, in light of the changes toward collaborative work environments and new ways to learn, share, and create knowledge, we determined to extend our platforms to include 3-D interactive environments to have full range of synchronous and asynchronous opportunities for our students.  After much research and investigation, we chose Teen Second Life as the most flexible, useful, and supported platform for this virtual world. With further inquiry into multiple educational groups operating on the Teen Second Life grid, we are happy to have the opportunity to join forces with Skoolaborate, a consortium of over 40 schools from nine countries, to offer our teachers and students a completely safe, highly interactive, intensely engaging experience. We are looking forward to bringing the rich experiences of the collaborating minds of teachers and students in Skoolaborate into our respective communities to offer our rural students an intense and rewarding educational experience.

 

 


The Global Challenge Award, USA

The Global Challenge Award program is an informal (outside-of-school), global competition/ game-like World Wide Web activity that combines traditional and Web 2.0 telecommunications to support 4-student teams that are created yearly by high school students from around the world (Gibson, Grasso, & Bongard, 2006; Gibson, Grasso, & Grasso, 2007; Gibson & Grasso, 2007). Student teams are challenged to work collaboratively online to create solutions to global warming and the energy crisis over the course of several months. They are guided in the use of computational science tools to create innovative collaborative solutions. Solutions take the form of a global business plan or a smaller technical innovation plan that is submitted to a panel of experts in business, engineering and science. Students can also participate by earning points as they complete mini-challenges that integrate science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning with real world ideas and issues; and redeeming those points for prizes.

To date, the program has engaged over 7000 students worldwide and awarded over 400 for completing team solutions to global warming. A major strength of the program has been its ability to attract a very diverse group of participants, by gender, ethnicity, socio-economics, student interests, and rural/urban environments. In addition, the majority of students who complete the program have identified GCA as instrumental in decisions to further studies in the STEM disciplines. Currently, approximately 60% of students who successfully form working international teams complete the full program. In short, the Global Challenge program has been found to be an innovative strategy that is effective for supporting high school-aged students’ development for productive participation in the STEM workforce of the future.

We would like to use Skoolaborate’s environment for real-time meetings of GCA teams, placement of GCA program options and opportunities in front of Skoolaborate students, a place for student teams to present their results, possibly a place to hold conferences on climate change topics, and to research the impact of the 3D space on team development and the GCA experience.

* Gibson, D., Grasso, D., & Bongard, J. (2006). Games and simulations and the future of engineering: Engaging high school students in global challenges.Unpublished manuscript, Stowe, VT.

* Gibson, D., Grasso, D., & Grasso, S. (2007). Saving the earth on their way to college: Recruiting engineers for 2020 through global challenges.Unpublished manuscript.

* Gibson, D., & Grasso, S. (2007). The global challenge: Saving the earth on their way to college. Leading and Learning with Technology(Nov), 12-16.

 


The Transatlantic Crew TSL Project

The Transatlantic Crew has been set up specifically with Saving our World as it’s main aim through maximizing awareness of the environment in which we live. Students have been tasked with making others aware of the issues surrounding our environment and how they can help to minimize the effects of such concerns as global warming and how to decrease our carbon footprint. They aim to do this by organizing events to raise money for a specific charity and to raise awareness in various ways in TSL. With TSL in mind, ideas may be to simulate a recycling plant, organize a music event, carry out a t-shirt competition to raise awareness. However, we feel this will be for the students to decide with us, adults, giving guidance.

 

 

 

 

Escola Básica dos 2º e 3º Ciclos Gualdim Pais: Tomar, Portugal

Escola Básica dos 2º e 3º Ciclos Gualdim Pais belongs to the Agrupamento de escolas Gualdim Pais in Tomar, Portugal. It is a Junior High School which aims at providing learning opportunities to all its students (boys and girls) whose age ranges 10-15, keeping in mind their individual needs. Last year, the school underwent a governmental inspection and was awarded the top assessment (A) in each of the 5 parametres under evaluation. This contributed to make all the staff, parents and students proud of the work that is being developed. We are always looking to provide our students with new learning opportunities, especially in a community where they can learn by doing, sharing and working together. Our purpose is to prepare them to the world of work and help them to develop into global citizens and lifelong learners.

 

 

 

The Langley School: McLean, VA USA

Founded in 1942, The Langley School is an independent coed day school in McLean, VA, educating approximately 480 students in preschool through eighth grade. The school strives to embrace the unique qualities of each student through an engaging program of rigorous academics, fine arts, athletics, community service, and a 7:1 student/teacher ratio.

At The Langley School, we believe that each child’s potential is boundless and every child can act with integrity, generosity, and consideration for others. We reach across multiple disciplines to discover, amplify, and embrace the talents of every child, every day. By nurturing, supporting, and academically challenging our students, our inclusive community builds quietly confident, independent thinkers who flourish as learners and individuals.

Tradition and innovation are hallmarks of Langley’s curriculum, which is integrated across disciplines. Authentic learning experiences and assessment guide teaching and learning, allowing students to reach their potential. We take pride in and are valued for our understanding of and advocacy for each student, our support of one another, and our role in the larger community.

The school’s facilities include a 20,000-volume library, science and computer labs, a creative media studio featuring green screen technology, a 23,350-square-foot athletic center, a new turf field, and a new arts center with a state-of-the-art auditorium.

 

 

Peter Johansen High School: Modesto, CA USA

Peter Johansen High School was opened in the fall of 1992 and currently houses approximately 2250 students in grades 9-12 with a senior class of roughly 460 students. The student body consists of a rich mixture of ethnic an socioeconomic backgrounds. In 2006, Johansen was selected as a model school with the International Center for Leadership in Education and is part of the Successful Practices Network. In 2007 Johansen was awarded a grant to redesign the student body into Smaller Learning Communities; students may become part of one of five communities, each with a different academic focus. Freshmen students belong to one of two freshmen houses. A comprehensive curriculum provides courses for students of all ability levels, with an emphasis for all students on college preparedness as well as preparation for the workplace so that students have viable options for their future upon graduation. Eight Pre-Advanced Placement courses and fourteen Advanced Placement courses are available for students who wish to pursue our most rigorous curriculum. Johansen High School offers a wide variety of student activities such as student leadership training, thirty clubs and organizations, thirteen sports, drama, band, dance, and choir. The students at Johansen have access to four computer labs and a wide range of other educational-based technology.

 

 

Modesto High School: Modesto, CA USA

Modesto High School is undoubtedly a school with one of the most storied pasts in the state of California. It is an ethnically diverse institution with strength in all areas of athletic and academic competition. The MHS of 2009 is one of growth and achievement, but our hallowed school has been striving for excellence for over one hundred years. Modesto High's ability to succeed in the present day can be traced back to the hard work and determination of administration of years past; their main goal was to develop a prestigious site for secondary education that would stand above the bar in every aspect of education.

In 1883, Ruliff Stephen Holway saw the need for a high school that could provide for needs extending beyond a primary grammar education. According to Sol P. Elias, member of the first graduating class of Modesto High School students, R.S. Holway was "a young schoolmaster... with the advantage of a charming character and a sympathetic mind... zeal and personality... (who) guided the pupils almost through the entire course until his departure... to accept a professorship at the University of California." This man, MHS' first principal, was responsible for the education of the entire student body, playing a role of both teacher and administrator before he left to teach in the UC system. Forty pupils comprised the first class organized at the first building located at 14th and I Streets; after four years, ten of these students remained to take part in the first graduation of MHS students. In the succeeding years, the number of seniors receiving diplomas fluctuated greatly; the lowest number occurred in 1893 when no one remained in school all four years to graduate.

 

 

James C. Enochs High School: Modesto, CA USA

At James C. Enochs High School, we envision a learning community that challenges and nurtures students by fostering a sense of shared mission and engaging them in a rigorous, coherent, standards-based curriculum.

Our vision demands that we provide innovative instruction by accomplished practitioners whose commitment to learning and student achievement encourages students to become technologically adept, lifelong learners able to think independently and solve complex problems.

Our vision presupposes a community in which academics, athletics, student activities, and the arts contribute to student success.

Our vision is rooted in the belief that staff and students alike must embrace the diversity of an increasingly complex world, foster mutual respect, and create a secure environment that supports student success.

 

 

North Shore Middle School: Hartland, WI USA

North Shore Middle School, an interactive learning environment made up of educators, parents, students and community members, is dedicated to the growth of every learner.

Through empowering students with tools for continuous development, learners establish a foundation for risk-taking and the confidence to create solutions. By practicing civic responsibility, they become contributing members of local and global societies.

We share resources in partnership with the community, provide learners with choices to ensure ownership, and integrate the arts, health, culture, exploration, technology and knowledge within a rigorous and responsive curriculum.
North Shore embraces the uniqueness of each learner and celebrates individual growth, resulting in the enrichment of the learning community.

 

 

University of the Incarnate Word Prep: San Antonio, TX USA

UIW Prep is a unique, thoughtful and innovative online high school that welcomes students from all backgrounds. For more than 125 years, we have helped students attain their educational goals at the University of the Incarnate Word, and we are pleased to bring that sense of history and mission to UIW Prep. It is also our sincere hope that you will be strengthened in your faith by your interactions with us.

Students who complete the UIW Prep curriculum are well prepared to move on to challenging studies at the university level.

UIW Prep Philosophy

We are deeply rooted in the mission of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, and are dedicated to providing excellence through knowledge in the context of our Catholic faith. We believe that the integration of truth and values in a true faith-based curriculum distinguishes our community. We believe this integration stimulates the imagination, inquisitiveness, and interests of each individual student while teaching to the whole person.
We believe that UIW Prep provides students the opportunity to think critically, communicate effectively, and strive to achieve a level of excellence according to their own ability. We believe our rich history combined with our strong academic philosophy will prepare students for higher education and develop a sense of social and moral justice.

 

Pilegårdsskolen: Copenhagen, Denmark

Pilegårdsskolen (in English, the Willow Farm School) is an open-minded and attractively positioned school close to Denmark's capital Copenhagen. There is a lot of green and open space around the school for our nearly 1000 students. We have comtemporay ICT-facilities with a good computer infrastructure and interactive whiteboards in many classrooms. There also is a huge, modern library at the school with many activities going on.  The school was built in 1957, and it is part of the public school structure of the suburb to Copenhagen "Tårnby kommune" together with 7 other schools.  Pilegårdsskolen is also close to the water and to a protected nature district. Furthermore, the airport is so close, that we can see and hear the planes takeoff and land.

From the next school year, starting in the middle of August 2011, there is established a new international profile and a connected line of classes approaching a global horisont for our students and carrying out international exchanges.

Some of our aims are:

  • To bring Europe, the European community and the global perspective closer to the students and to introduce an international dimension in education.
  • Learn about other cultures and customs through stories, communication and presentations recognizing world diversity and globalization surrounding myths and legends with a particular focus on our collaborating partner's countries.
  • Create reading habits, curiosity and openess in students.
  • To find out about and exchange on the cutural heritage in partner countries.
  • Use of ITC in order to link our cultures and disseminate the projects.
  • To develop the speaking and listening skills of our students.

Check out the pictures from our photo stream!